Making good is the work that closes the hole, weathers the outside, and repairs the finish the pipes and brackets disturbed. A competent install leaves the core weather-tight and the cable safe. Plaster, paint, brick tint and listed mouldings are often a separate line, or a separate trade. As a 2026 illustration, a small decorative patch is often in the low hundreds or absorbed in the install, and listed or large areas cost more. That is an illustration, not a tariff. Write who does each part on the quote before the drill starts.
Sealant on the sleeve, paint when the plaster is dry
The pipe hole needs a proper seal against rain and a neat finish inside and out. Bracket holes, trunking ends and an isolator box are part of the same visit. A bead of sealant and a cover plate may be all a plain wall needs. Decoration is the gap. Fresh plaster has to dry before paint. A colour match on a featured wall, a papered hall, or lime plaster in an old house is not a five-minute extra. If the price is silent, assume you are arranging that yourself. The installer paints the wall only if the price says so. Many installs seal the hole and leave paint, paper and drying plaster to you or to a decorator.
A straightforward brick house with trunking and a sealant finish is the lower illustration, often inside the install or a small extra. Cutting into ornate plaster, matching a glazed brick, scaffolding to reach a high sleeve, or waiting on a decorator's return visit moves it. London access time applies to the decorator as well as the engineer. Listed and decorative finishes need a specialist, priced apart.
Old bracket holes and a scar on the neighbour's wall
Inside, the scar is the core, the trunking clips, and any access panel for a pump. Outside, it is the sleeve, the bracket pads, and trunking down to the condenser. Outside brick and render need a finish that sheds rain. A flat above a neighbour can put the outside scar on their elevation. That wants consent, not a surprise. If old equipment came off the same wall, removal holes are making good too. Price them with the recovery, not as a later argument. Old bracket holes and old sleeves belong on the same line as the new seals.
The install should leave a messy core weather-tight and tidy. If the finish was included and it is not acceptable, that is a snag for the installer. If decoration was excluded, it is your follow-on trade. F-gas commissioning is separate from decorating. A beautiful wall with a leaking joint is the wrong saving. In England, the outdoor unit's position still follows Planning Portal conditions whatever the paint colour.
Core buying guides
Start with these high-intent guides, then dig into the rest of the library.
Related guides
Sources and further reading
How this guide was prepared
This guide was written by the Local AC Installers Editorial Team. We compare official guidance, legislation and established consumer information, separate general information from project-specific advice, and show publication dates and sources. We do not accept installer accreditation claims at face value.